Whether you are feeling nibblish before bedtime, or you have a kid who wakes up in the middle of the night from being slightly hungry, here are three sleep-friendly snacks I recommend that will keep your tummy happy without being too heavy or stimulating.
(And nope, it’s not hot chocolate milk.)
The idea is to avoid blood sugar spikes and dips at bedtime, which can disrupt sleep. So you want to stay away from high G.I. or stimulating foods (eg. chocolate, caffeine, spices, MSG).
Cherries, kiwis and bananas are found to be supportive of the hormones serotonin and melatonin, which are the key hormones in regulating our sleep-wake cycles.
Pairing a complex carb with some sort of protein + healthy fats, will help reduce those sleep-disrupting spikes and dips in your blood sugar as well as promote satiety i.e. keeping you full for longer.
Do bear in mind that there is no bedtime snack that can ‘make you sleep’ or cure chronic insomnia, unless your diet is found to be the main root cause for your sleep issues then it may help in your case.
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Hi I’m Lydia, certified sleep therapist and trained specialist in CBT for insomnia. Follow me on IG @thesleepcode.hk or visit the-sleep-code.com for more sleep resources.
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The Sleep Code | Sleep Specialist in Hong Kong 